Brittany White

"I love being able to work in the Little Braves Preschool. The children always make me smile and keep me in a good mood. I have taken several of my DCF exams and am looking forward to finishing my industry certification, so that I can work professionally in a preschool soon. I plan on working with kids as my future career, because it's something I enjoy doing and I'm learning that I'm good at it too."

Academy of Future Educators Overview

The Academy of Future Educators at Lake Gibson High School is a teacher preparation program that integrates academic rigor with career development skills. It is designed
specifically for 9th—12th grade students. There are 2 tracks to choose from:

Early Childhood Education

This course focuses on preparing students to work with young children from infancy to age five in child care settings. Major areas of study include health, safety and
nutrition for young children, recognizing child abuse and neglect, and child growth and development. Students have the opportunity to intern in the Little Braves Preschool,
which will be to 60% of the workload and grade. In addition to the internship, students will learn the Florida Department of Children & Families training curriculum and will
have the opportunity to gain state certifications and licensure to work in a child care setting upon successful completion of the course. There is a $20 fee associated with the
class. This pays for the cost of the DCF textbooks, exams & certification.

Requirements:

Maintain a 2.5 GPA

Have less than 10 absences per semester

Have no discipline record

$20 DCF fee

Exploring Education / Teacher Assisting

In this course students will learn the history of education in the United States, learn to use instructional technology, enhance their communication & leadership skills, and
understand the various roles and career paths of educators. Students will begin their professional portfolio by creating lesson plans and preparing visual aids. Students will
have the opportunity to explore various teaching methods, create assessments, discuss the ethical and legal responsibilities of teaching, learn classroom management skills, study
multiple intelligences, recognize the signs of child abuse, and solve issues using critical thinking skills.

Internships are an integral part of the curriculum. Field experience is required so students will intern in the LGHS 9th grade Academy as well as mentor local elementary students.
Each student will have a professional teacher mentor, learn from guest speakers who are our business partners in the field of education, and observe in real classrooms.